諺語 · a single proverb
人為刀俎，我為魚肉
Simplified: 人为刀俎，我为鱼肉
What does 人為刀俎，我為魚肉 (rén wéi dāo zǔ wǒ wéi yú ròu) mean?
人為刀俎，我為魚肉 (rén wéi dāo zǔ wǒ wéi yú ròu) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "they are the knife and chopping board; I am the fish and meat." In use it means: Being completely at someone else's mercy; a position of total vulnerability where others hold all the power. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Metal note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Rat.
Literally: "they are the knife and chopping board; I am the fish and meat."
The reading
The fish does not negotiate with the knife. When the power imbalance is this complete, the useful question is not how to win but how you ended up on the board. The time to address vulnerability is before it becomes the whole situation.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Records of the Grand Historian 史記, Hongmen Yan 鴻門宴
Sits beside
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Adversity & Resilience, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rat, Year of the Ox, and Year of the Tiger.
Questions
Is 人為刀俎，我為魚肉 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 人為刀俎，我為魚肉 (rén wéi dāo zǔ wǒ wéi yú ròu) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Records of the Grand Historian 史記, Hongmen Yan 鴻門宴. It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 人為刀俎，我為魚肉?
In Mandarin it is rén wéi dāo zǔ wǒ wéi yú ròu. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 人為刀俎，我為魚肉 aloud in Mandarin.